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Review: Sharp & Sugar Tooth: Women Up to No Good

Sharp & Sugar Tooth (Women Up to No Good #3)Edited by Octavia CadePublisher:Upper Rubber Boot BooksPublication date: March 26, 2019Source: Publisher for an honest review

Description:

Sharp & Sugar Tooth: Women Up To No Good is a horror
anthology of dark fiction and darker appetites, edited by Octavia Cade.
Containing 22 stories of “bad” women, and “good” women who just haven’t been
caught yet, it features 22 fearless writers who identify as female, non-binary,
or a marginalized sex or gender identity. It’s the third in the Women Up To No
Good series, and is forthcoming at the end of 2018.

My Take:

When I was offered the opportunity to read and review this anthology, I was quite excited by the premise of the collection of short stories. There are twenty-two stories in this collection and they each made an impression on me. I

tried to list my favorites and the list ended up including most of the stories - for varying reasons. The stories include dark fairy tales, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and a few stories I'm not sure how to categorize.

I find that short story collections take me longer to read and longer to review -- and this particular book even more so. I found that after each story I had to put the book aside so that I could process and ponder what I had just read. Even after a few weeks, I find my mind wandering back to an idea, a character, a situation from the stories and I just sit and think. Sometimes its because it was shocking, sometimes because the situation was heart-breaking, other times its the particular twist of a well-known idea or theme that strikes me. There wasn't a single story that I hated -- and most I really liked. Sharp & Sugar Tooth is definitely a book that I am recommending to my friends - it is a very worthwhile read.

It is hard to pick favorites, but some of the stories that really stick with me are:

"Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" by Alyssa Wong. - this is such an amazing story - It is a dark supernatural/horror tale that really sticks with me. Loved it.

"A Lie You Give, and Thus I Take" by Damien Angelica Walters - a different twist on fairy tales. It has layers to the tale - could be about many things, but seems to be a view of abuse told through the words of fairy tales - and I would say it is true to the real purpose of fairy tales.

"A Fish Tale" by Sabrina Vourvoulias - a fish tale -- a great story. This is one that I will read again for sure.

"Strong Meat" by A. R. Henle - such a thought provoking story. I can't say much or risk giving too much away.

"Alice Underground" by Rachael Sterling. Alice in Wonderland - but out of Wonderland - real? mental illness? So good!

"The Lily and the Horn" by Catherynne M. Valente - a very good tale.

"A Year Without the Taste of Meat" by Erin Horakova - Science Fiction story that takes on different species/cultures. I really liked this one.

Honestly, I could list every story in this collection and tell you something that made an impression on me. However, I would be giving too much away -- these stories deserve to be discovered. Go read Sharp & Sugar Tooth - you won't be disappointed!

Curly-haired brunettes with blue eyes are the only women that seem to capture Keith’s attention. But is it really their appearance that attracts him or something sinister? Keith, a broken soul, who’s battling between good and evil, goes about his days trying to fight his evil urges. But because of a demonic stronghold, in most instances good loses the battle to evil.

Affected by the pain and hurt of his childhood, he now seeks out the love he didn’t receive as a child. But when he doesn’t get it, there’s retribution to pay…and what a sad day it is for those curly-haired brunettes with blue eyes who fail to make the mark. But things take a turn when he meets a grocery store cashier who has the ability to see evil th…

I am happy to participate in the blog tour for the new book by James MacManus, Sleep in Peace Tonight. I previously reviewed his book Black Venus and quite enjoyed it. Please enjoy the excerpt.

Sleep in Peace Tonight by James MacManusPublication date: October 7, 2014 by Thomas Dunne BooksDescription:It’s January 1941, and
the Blitz is devastating England. Food supplies are low, Tube stations
in London have become bomb shelters, and U-boats have hampered any hope
of easy victory. Though the United States maintains its isolationist
position, Churchill knows that England is finished without the aid of
its powerful ally.

Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt’s most
trusted adviser, is sent to London as his emissary, and there he falls
under the spell of Churchill’s commanding rhetoric---and legendary
drinking habits. As he experiences life in a country under attack,
Hopkins questions the United States’ silence in the war. But back home
FDR is paranoid about the isolationist lobby, an…

A Drama in Muslin by George Moorebought from Kennys BookshopSummary from Goodreads: A reprint of the first edition written in the 1880s, this is generally considered to be the best version of one of Moore's greatest books. Set in Ireland in the 1880s against a backdrop of Land League troubles in Co. Mayo, and in Dublin, where the social life revolves around the Vice-Regal court in Dublin Castle, this depicts the efforts of a mother trying to catch socially suitable husbands for her daughters, and chronicles the results. My Take: This was an interesting book for a number of reasons. I like Irish history and the book takes place in the 1880's in western Ireland during the activities of the Land League, so there is the historical aspect to it. But the most interesting thing was the picture it painted of the lives of five girls born into the gentry of the West of Ireland. They had been sent to a girls school for much of their lives and when they were of age, they had to join society…

I am a wife and home schooling mother of three with a degree in English Literature and a huge appetite for reading. I read most types of books, but I am particularly fond of Victorian fiction, urban fantasy, some YA, sci fi, historical fiction, and the list could go on.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all of the books I review are either purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

When a review copy has been received from an author, publisher or company, it is in exchange for a fair review and has no effect on my opinion of the book. There is no monetary compensation for reviews. All reviews are my own personal reaction to and opinion of the book.

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